Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced today that 170 law firms, legal departments, government offices, and law schools across Virginia joined together to raise the equivalent of more than 1.5 million pounds of food for Virginia’s hungry during the 10th Annual Legal Food Frenzy.

This year’s total is up 15% over 2015, and contributions bring the total raised during the annual drive to more than 14.2 million pounds over its ten years.

“For the last ten years, the legal community has helped to meet a critical need in so many of our communities,” said Attorney General Herring. “It has been an honor to partner with the legal community and the Federation of Virginia Food Banks for this wonderful project.”

The Legal Food Frenzy, a collaboration between the Attorney General’s office, the Young Lawyers Division of the Virginia Bar Association, and the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, pitted Virginia law firms and legal departments against each other in a friendly competition to see who could raise the most food for food banks in their local communities.

This year, the firm of B. Cullen Gibson from Norfolk took overall first place for the sixth consecutive year by raising 25,303 pounds per person, and as a result, won the coveted Attorney General’s Cup. Attorney General Herring notified the firm of its victory with a phone call on Thursday. The Office of the Attorney General retained its “Urbanna Oyster Award” as the top contributor in the government and public sector category.

“The legal community has once again provided food banks across the Commonwealth of Virginia food and funds at a very critical time. Our heartfelt thanks to their incredible efforts and partnerships that continue to provide hope to so many in need,” said Leslie Van Horn, Executive Director of the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, a partner state association of Feeding America. Last year, Federation members distributed almost 146 million pounds of food and grocery products to nearly 1.2 million individuals in need of emergency food assistance.

In addition to thanking the food drive coordinators and representatives across the state, Attorney General Herring offers a special thanks to Leslie Van Horn and the Virginia Bar Association’s Young Lawyer’s Division co-chairs Chris Gill from Christian & Barton, Derek Swanson from McGuireWoods, Lauren Wheeling Waller from Williams Mullen, Stacey Forbes from Reed Smith, and Will Prince from ThompsonMcMullan for organizing the campaign.

Note: Pounds of food listed above and below are counted by both food and cash donations. Cash donations are converted using the formula of $1 = 4 pounds of food.